Unseasonably warm weather drives pups and people outdoors

Last Updated on Monday, January 09, 2012 01:29 pm Written by Cindy Nevitt Monday, January 09, 2012 11:02 am

OCEAN CITY – Two days of sunny, warm weather drove visitors and residents outside to enjoy Ocean City’s biggest summertime attractions, the beach and the boardwalk, and everything in between.

Sunday’s weather, which reached a high of 48 compared to Saturday’s 67, was still balmy enough to encourage tennis players, gardeners and playground-bound children to head outdoors wearing little more than short-sleeved shirts. And almost everywhere, dogs were included in the outing.

On the Ninth Street beach, Allyson Redford of Wayne, Pa. and Maureen Friedrich of Berwyn, Pa. marveled at the weather as they hunkered down in beach chairs, accompanied by Derry, a 3-year-old yellow lab who had her own beach towel spread out on the sand. Sunday’s day trip to Ocean City was planned in advance – “We just kind of wanted to get away and have a relaxing day,” Redford said – and presented the women their first-ever chance to sit on the beach in January.

Many others brought their dogs along for a trip to the boardwalk, oblivious to the “No Dogs Allowed” signs posted at the ramp entrances. One dog was seen posing with the cement dog stationed outside the door of South Seas Shop at 768 Boardwalk, two were seen posing in the center of the boardwalk with their young owners on skateboards, and one was seen posing with its owners on a wreath-adorned bench by the Music Pier.

“This is going to be our Christmas card next year,” said one of the animal’s owners, as she and her partner had their photograph snapped with their dog and the evergreen wreath strategically positioned between them.

The luckiest dogs were those enjoying cones and cups of vanilla ice cream at the Kohr Bros. stand at Moorlyn Terrace. Peka, a 2-year-old chihuahua visiting from New York, licked his lips after finishing off a cone. On the next bench, Cow, a 4-year-old black-and-white spotted chihuahua, and Kani, an 8-year-old beagle mix, shared a cup held by Andrea Kohr of Somers Point. Yes, that Kohr.

“They love ice cream,” said Kohr, whose husband, Daniel, is a fourth-generation member of the Kohr family. “Our last name explains why they love it.”

Randy Kohr, also a fourth-generation member of the Kohr Bros. ice cream family, said this is the first year the business has been open in January. The warm weather of last weekend convinced him and his brother to open for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and the continued good weather this weekend encouraged them to open the stand again. Usually, Randy Kohr said, the ice cream stands close around Thanksgiving and remain closed until spring.

In the 2900 block of Asbury Avenue, Millie Friedman, 76, spent the afternoon gardening in her front yard. Molly, Friedman’s 21-month-old beagle, was tethered to the base of a statue of a fisherman wearing a yellow slicker. Friedman said her favorite Ocean City pastime is riding her bike on the boardwalk, followed by taking Molly to the beach.

Allison Toadvine of Langhorne, Pa. hits the tennis courts at Ocean City High School at Fifth Street and Atlantic Avenue for a match with a friend. Sunday's warm weather enticed her to play; below 40 degrees, and she says her fingers get too cold for her to hold her racket. A still-blooming poinsettia plant, with red and white petals, sits at the curb along with department store shopping bags on Victoria Lane in the Merion Park section of Ocean City. The weekend's unseasonably warm weather lured many homeowners outside to take down and put away their Christmas decorations. Millie Friedman and her 21-month-old beagle Molly take a break from gardening Sunday afternoon in the 2900 block of Asbury Avenue. Friedman is an admitted Cow, a 4-year-old black-and-white spotted chihuahua, and Kani, an 8-year-old beagle mix, enthusiastically indulge in a shared cup of vanilla ice cream Sunday at the Kohr Bros. stand at Moorlyn Terrace on the boardwalk. The dogs come by their love of ice cream honestly: They are two of four pets owned by Andrea and Daniel Kohr, a fourth-generation member of the Kohr Bros. family. Peka, a 2-year-old chihuahua, licks his chops after enjoying an ice cream cone Sunday on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Peka, pronounced Pee-koosh, and Gi Hee Yang, of New York, who are visiting friends in Somers Point, capped off a day at the dog park with a stop at Kohr Bros. at Moorlyn Terrace and Boardwalk. Ron DeLanzo, a chiropractor and Ocean City native, pushes his daughter, Brooke, on the swings at the 34th Street playground. Brooke, who turns 2 on Jan. 24, prefers the Abby McKenna, 5, of Glassboro leaps off the jetty on the Ninth Street beach into the water. She spent a half hour in the chilly water, and was soaked to her waist. Kara Hender, 6, and Morgan, 2, of Marmora were rewarded with a stop at the 34th Street playground in Ocean City on Sunday after running errands with their father, Matt.